When lawmakers return in September, they will be confronted with not only funding the federal government for Fiscal Year 2024, but also with reauthorizing funding for the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and the Farm Bill.

As described in Focal Point, both chambers passed their respective NDAA’s just prior to the August recess, with major policy differences left to be reconciled in Conference Committee. Furthermore, when Congress returns after Labor Day, only 17 days remain before the FAA’s funding authority expires on September 30, leaving little time for the House and Senate to reconcile continuous issues such as pilot training.

Incidentally, the House bill, which passed the House in July, 351-69, and the Senate’s FAA bill, scheduled to be marked up after Labor Day, include appropriations dedicated to construction for airport improvement projects via the Airport Improvement Act. It seems likely Congress may have to pass a short-term extension for the aviation agency’s funding authority to iron out pilot training issues in Conference.

The Farm Bill, which is also set to expire on September 30, includes funding for programs such as water infrastructure (the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Water and Environmental Programs), broadband and telecommunications (USDA’s ReConnect Loan/Grant Program), energy, and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). SNAP has become a continuous issue as conservative lawmakers are seeking to expand work requirements for eligibility, while progressives have vowed for an expansion of the SNAP/food stamp program. As indicated by the letter sent from all the Democratic Members of the House Agriculture Committee to House Speaker McCarthy, Congress may be faced with having to pass a short-term extension for the Farm Bill, should lawmakers be unable to reconcile an agreement.

Finally, prior to the August recess, the Senate Appropriations Committee boasts that, for the first time, in five years, Senate appropriators passed all of the necessary 12 appropriations bills out of committee, with bipartisan support, to fund the federal government for FY24. The entire Senate will consider those 12 spending bills when it returns in September.

On the other side of the Capitol, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and his leadership were hopeful to pass their 12 funding bills out of the House before the August recess. However, the House was only able to pass one funding bill (219-211 vote) for the Department of Veteran Affairs and Military Construction (Milcon-VA); but the bill included hot-button issues, which progressive Democrats and the Administration will not support.

Speaker McCarthy and his leadership team will increase efforts to pass the remaining funding bills when Congress reconvenes in September. House Republican appropriators marked up their spending bills at fiscal 2022 spending levels, below the caps set in the debt ceiling deal struck by President Biden and Speaker McCarthy, while Senate appropriators set spending levels in line with the debt limit agreement. With just 12 legislative days left on the legislative calendar, Congress has little time to reach an agreement to avert a government shutdown, or it may be forced to pass a short-term budget extension.